06-27-2016, 02:21 AM
And Steve Forbes(!)
The vote will intensify the centrifugal forces tearing apart the EU. The whole thrust of post-WWII diplomacy has been to bring the European nations together in order to avoid the disasters that plagued Europe and the world during the first half of the 20th century. The EU has made a series of major mistakes, in particular creating a massive, corrupt bureaucracy that has spewed out an avalanche of petty regulations (what the shape of a banana should be). For all its flaws, however, the EU played a critical role in enabling the former dictatorships of Spain and Portugal to make the transition to the liberal democracies they are today. It also did the same for the ex-communist countries of central and eastern Europe. These countries made major reforms that went against powerful domestic interests in order to win membership in the EU. No wonder Vladimir Putin hates the EU and was horrified that Ukraine wanted in. He wants Russia to dominate Europe, and the unraveling of the EU plays right into his malignant hands.
Why The Brexit Vote Is All-Around Bad - Forbes
Apart from the massive, corrupt bureacracy stuff (the EU employs less civil servants than a medium city like Marseille), this is surprisingly on the mark.